Archive of Our Own

Spring in Alexandria was a very pleasant season. Snow barely fell during winter, which allowed Blueanfa and Efflorelume to work early on. By the time we returned from the Archduke Conference, people were already wearing lighter clothes.

Some female senior aristocrats still wore thick veils though. Rozemyne would wear them on some occasions just to show she was willing to embrace the local costumes, but she wasn’t very fond of them, and whenever the weather became a little warmer, she would stop using them altogether.

We were having some tea on her sitting room while her attendants were putting away all her luggage from the conference in the adjacent room. They would use this opportunity to store all her veils until autumn where she would use them again.

I was reviewing the paperwork that had accumulated during our absence. It would surely take me a long time to go through the large stack of plant paper with request and questionings from all Giebes, but it was better than using wood boards where I would need 4 or 5 attendants moving them around. With paper I could do my work just fine in Aub’s chambers as there was a limit to the number of retainers that could come inside with me.

“Don’t you think it’s irresponsible for me to be having some tea instead of working along with you right now?” She asked me while resting her cheek on her hand. “Justus mentioned Gibe Kanawitz question we both left the duchy for the conference, as if the Foundation would be depleted.”

“What is most important right now is for you to avoid any kind of strenuous situation. I can deal with Gibe Kanawitz and his unfounded preoccupations. You on the other hand, have to be rested to be able to feel your mana flow. Focus on the movement and amount, you have to get used to it at the beginning so it becomes more natural as the months progresses.”

“But I could be using this time helping you, or… doing something more productive like reading. There are many books that were printed during winter that I haven’t been able to even smell.” She pouted.

“Until you are able to provide mana unconsciously, I can’t allow you to read, you will submerge yourself with your books and forget to fulfill your biggest responsibility. Remember, the best results come with continuous flow rather than sudden bursts every other moment.”

She used her sleeve to cover her mouth as she began giggling.

“Can you tell me what is that you find funny about child-bearing?”

“It’s not pregnancy what I found funny, it’s the fact that you have suddenly become an expert on the subject where years ago you had no clue about it,” she explained. When we got engaged, I consulted Grutissheit for some information about the subject but I couldn’t find much. I then had to talk to Justus about it and he enlightened me about my missing education.

“I still remember my sister’s shock when I told her you suggested to leave a pregnant woman alone while in labor as the baby would be borne alone.” She kept chuckling at her own words, but I couldn’t recall that exchange.

It was her keen reading of me that let her know I was trying to remember that conversation. “Don’t you remember? It was when the first orphan was going to be born after many years of not having any pregnant gray shrine maidens.”

“A gray shrine maiden is different from a noble as they don’t have any mana. Your effort will translate into our son’s or daughter’s birth mana level and therefore their entire future.”

“I have already given a thought about it.” She gave me a eavesdropping prevention tool. I had no idea why this conversation had to be a secret, as only name-sworn retainers were present at the moment, but I took it anyway. “I just have to envision my mana as a [dripping bag] connected to my womb and mana will flow constantly. I can also adjust the amount without any problem.”

“I don’t believe you have taught me that word. What is a [dripping bag]?”

“I’ve told you about hospitals, right? People there sometimes need donated blood or other liquids delivered directly to their bloodstreams, but as you cannot do it all at once, doctors would connect them with a tube and a needle to a bag, and allow the liquid to flow constantly inside them. That is what a dripping bag is used for.”

“Your other world’s physicians sound barbaric. First cutting open patients and now you are telling me people share their blood?” When we visited Venice I had thought they were way more advanced than us, but I am glad we don’t need that kind of progress in Yurgenschmidt.

“You say that because we can simply use a potion to cure ailments. Just with juvere you have covered almost any life threatening conditions, and there’s always Heilschmerz blessing. Without that, earth doctors had to get a little creative, and thanks to their creativity I have a way to provide constant mana flow. I just have to check the mana bag once a day to see if I need to refill it.”

“Wait, you are already doing that? How long has it been going on?”

“Well, the moment I began feeling my mana was being absorbed in my womb I realized I was probably pregnant and I began providing the flow. When Geduldh didn’t visit me last month, I confirmed it.”

She once again surprised me. Normally women would find out they were pregnant several weeks after conception, some even a season after. Childbearing was a very straining period for women, but if she had spent all this time already providing mana with only some dizziness while using transportation circles, I felt confident she would once again outperform everyone in this upcoming task.

The Starbinding Ceremony had been held in the lower city and in the noble quarters without any impediment. Letizia successfully gave both blessings with the help of feystones filled with mana. Rozemyne suggested it when we appointed her High Bishop as this method had also helped Melchoir back in Ehrenfest.

We were having the adult feast in the largest hall in the castle as all marriageable nobles were attending from all around the duchy. Vine was being poured generously on everyone’s glasses. Rozemyne drank first as custom dictated, but then refused to have any more. She claimed it would be detrimental for the baby. I had my cup filled and enjoyed the flavor, it wasn’t very sweet so it paired nicely with the small dishes being served. Rozemyne had suggested a change from normal banquets. Instead of full plates, there were going to be different bite size foods delivered by attendants while people stood up and chatted. This was the first time this new style was being used, so I was watching carefully how people reacted; so far so good.

Unsurprisingly Rozemyne’s unwed retainers were fully surrounded by the rest of nobility. Noble relationships were formed two main ways, studying together at the academy or by family introduction. Alexandria’s nobles were trying to get closer to Aub by the second route. Marrying any of her retainers would normally allow a closer position to the archducal family. Where Rozemyne a normal noble, this would be expected to work. However her experience with a failed retainer had morphed her method. She would only accept new retainers after evaluating them herself. I agreed with her, although I would had preferred name-swearing on top of it. She was still young and as her husband I had to protect her from any corrupt intentions. I would fulfill my promise to her and to our family.

“Probably I should send Mother a report of what is going on during our ceremony for her to get more ideas for her books.”

“Don’t you think it is better for Alexandria to write its own books, instead of sharing the information with other duchies for free?”

“Of course I would charge for the information, but Mother is the best at writing romantic stories. I believe her prose is best to capture the correct euphemisms. The alternative is for me to write the stories, and you made it vey clear I shouldn’t write those as my perspective is very lewd.” She whispered the last two words close to my ear but instead of her usual demure tone, she lowered her tone and rhythm.

Although my summer clothes were embroidered with cooling magic circles, I felt the temperature rising. She used the tone she reserved only for our chambers, and never had she used it while in public.

“[You put me in a tight spot, I am willing to leave right now with you in my arms, but as you are with child, I must refrain from doing so.]” I responded quickly in Japanese. Only our retainers were informed about her pregnancy, so I shifted to Japanese whenever the subject came in public. It was easier than taking out the eavesdropping preventing tool.

“[Then you only need to escort me to my chambers as always.]” She responded with a mischievous smile. “I think Matthias and Laurenz would prefer I weren’t watching over them, don’t you think so Cornelius?”

She turned around to ask her brother, he had tried to keep his own relationship hidden as much as possible from Rozemyne to prevent Elvira from writing about it. I could also relate to them as certain gremlin had dug out stories about my academy days for the same purpose.

“They did tell me they would prefer to get to know their parters better before introducing them to you. I believe you watching over them is not helping them much.” He answered with a defeated tone.

“See Ferdinand? It is better to part right now, so the young ones can have their fun.”

I snorted at her remark as I offered my hand to her. “Lets go then Aub Alexandria.”

We assigned some of our retainers to remain in the hall to record how relationships unfolded. With the rest of our on duty personnel, we left the room toward the residential part of the castle.

“I’ll see you in a moment,” I told her when we arrived at her door. I first had to go to my dressing room to get ready for bed. During the last year I hadn’t used my chambers for anything but changing clothes. Even my desk remained empty as I had moved everything to Rozemyne’s.

Lasfam had things ready at the time I arrived so the process was efficient as usual. I bathed, changed into my nightgown, and knocked on the door connecting our rooms. I had registered my mana last year so technically I could enter without knocking, however, I still chose to announce my arrival before barging in.

There was no answer, but it didn’t come as a surprise. I opened the door and indeed she was already laying in bed reading as usual; her attendants had already been dismissed, only the guard shumils stood by the doors. I climbed into bed with her and she slithered closer to me. I placed my arm around her and peeked to whatever she was reading now. It appeared to be a book from Drewanchel, particularly about their history.

When she read, it was hard to pull her back into conversation, so I waited for her to come to a natural stop while I played with her hair. This had become our nightly routine, sometimes I would also bring paperwork to bed, while other times we would concentrate on each other’s company.

I had spent the first months of her pregnancy worrying sick about her health. I had been monitoring her mana constantly, only to find her managing fine. Eventually my preoccupations shifted from magical to physical ones. I tried to lower her energy spending, including reducing late night activities. But she wasn’t too keen on that idea, honestly, I was relieved the day she said she wouldn’t stop them, as I also preferred to keep playing with the rest of her body, not only her hair.

When she arrived to the end of a chapter, I snached the book from her hands and kissed her neck. “It’s time for me to supply my part of the mana to our baby, don’t you agree?”

She climbed on top on me and smiled. “My dear husband, always placing his responsibilities on top of his wishes. How could I ever repay you enough?”

“You already have.”

As the hunting tournament approached, preparations in the castle became the main topic to be addressed. In Ehrenfest Florencia took the lead while Sylvester focused on the day to day activities for the duchy. However, I couldn’t fulfill the same role as a first wife, as men were normally left outside from tea parties.

During the tournament I would be hunting as it was expected from me to bring back the biggest pray, that left Rozemyne in charge of the socializing. Therefore she preferred to supervise the preparations along with her other archducal responsibilities. On top of that, she had kept providing mana to the foundation although she was pregnant. All her retainers has advised her against it, but she didn’t want to leave all the work to me and Letizia. She had also developed such fine control of her mana, the baby was in no trouble of mana scarcity. I had confirmed it using the same magic circle I had employed during her first ever medical check. It allowed me to inspect the flow of mana within both bodies and measure the correct amount was being provided.

As documents kept stacking on the office while taxes arrived from all around the duchy, work became more bothersome than during last season. “Rozemyne, leave this for me to check. You should better go to the gardens to inspect everything is ready for tomorrow.” She was better at numbers than anyone else, but I also knew that if she kept working at the same rate, I would focus on her instead of the work in front of me and productivity would fall as a result.

“I prefer to sit here instead of walking around the gardens.”

“I probably have to check if the pregnancy has not affected your memory, you don’t have to walk, you only need to ride your highbeast.”

“You are a genius Ferdinand! Maybe I can take a book along.”

“You shouldn’t be reading and riding at the same time, how many times have we discussed this?”

“I know,” she answered disappointed, “if only [audiobooks] were availa…” she drifted away and picked her diptych.

“What are you thinking about now?” She was emanating the same energy from whenever her new crazy idea formulated on her mind. Going by the Japanese word she had just pronounced, I could only assume it would involve books and some audio recording device.

“Could you lend me Raimund for the afternoon?” She asked using her polite tone.

“You always take him away no matter my answer, so why do you still bother to ask?”

“That’s a yes then.” She said while signaling her attendants she was standing up. “Roderick, please summon Raimund to the garden and come along yourself. Bring some Plantin company order formats, we need to procure some effon paper.”

Roderick quickly sent an ordonnanz and grabbed the correct formats to follow Rozemyne into whatever new enterprise she was brewing. As they left, I directed my attention to what I had actual control over.

Next day when the tournament began, I went hunting along with Eckhart and Angelica. They were finally starbond, nevertheless the female knight had refused leaving service. Her argument was that if her Lady could still work while pregnant, there was no reason for her to stop her duties while waiting for Entrinduge blessing. Both their attitudes told me they were not even trying. They still kept separate chambers not only in the knights barrack, but also at their state.

“Lord Ferdinand, I see a bahelm a short distance away, I believe it is a good target.” Eckhart called from the canopy of the trees.

“A bahelm?” Angelica questioned, “with Lord Ferdinand’s ability we should be able to seek something more of a challenge, don’t you think Eckhart?”

“It is the first time you hunt with us, right dear wife? You should know his Lordship prefers to end the hunting as quickly as possible.”

“Come on you two, we have to get to it first before anyone else sees what we are doing.” I called for both of them to stop talking and scaring the feybeast.

We rode our highbeast in the direction Eckhart pointed. I then poured two drops of recovery potion into a purple feyssstone and passed it to my knight for him to launch it towards the feybeast. “Prepare your sword Angelica and follow Eckhart.”

When she realized what was happening she yelled with emotion. “That’s Lady Rozemyne’s tactic! I see now, you can reduce the time seeking for a proper pray if you only make it yourself.”

Like Sylvester, I never enjoyed the time spent in the tournament. I preferred recollecting ingredients outside of the controlled castle grounds. I guess that was one of the few things we shared as brothers. But I still had to participate as it was expected from noble society, and with Letizia leading the temple an harvest festivals, we had no excuse to miss the tournament. Using a ruelle fruit with recovery potion would allow me to get the largest pray in the shortest time frame.

The bahelm began to grow with the sudden mana income. It quintupled its size and when it appered it was going to burst, it shrieked quickly and got its mana condensed. The new beast in front of us was a bahegol, just like a bahelm, it had wings and horns, but now its fur was golden. It was way faster than the easy to deal bahelm; its horns now could pierce flesh like it were butter.

“Schwert!” I chanted. Angelica brought out her blue mana blade and positioned herself besides Eckhart who had also transformed his schtappe.

Both knights aimed for its legs as planned which incapacitated the bahegol. I had to be careful to not kill it with my own attack, as its meat would be used for winter preparations.

I descended quickly and went for its nape. The bahegol screeched as my sword cut through its skin and blood began to pour. The impact was enough to make it fall to its side. Blood came out quickly but then settled on a slow flow.

“Perfectly done as always Lord Ferdinand!” Eckhart cheered.

“Your control never cease to amaze me, Lord Ferdinand!” Angelica complemented.

“Lets go back now.” We had to show the feybeast to the jury before we could collect anything from it as it was all part of the tournament. Castle chefs would also need to cut out the meat that would be consumed during winter.

Both nights used light bands to grab the half dead beast and we returned to the tea party.

Rozemyne was chatting with other archnoble ladies in the center table. When I arrived with the knights behind me, she excused herself from and approached me.

“What an amazing pray you have brought us, my dear husband. Praised be Schlageziel the God of Hunting who has clearly blessed you today.”

Although she was already past her 6th month, with her ample dress there was no visible bump. She looked radiant and welcomed me back with her beautiful smile.

As days became shorter and nights colder, the noble quarters transformed gradually. Thick carpets were installed in chambers and tea rooms. Fireplaces were turned on so Geduldh embrace could heat up the place. Nobles from all the duchy began arriving to their respective winter states.

Rozemyne was having her last dress fitting. She would be leading the winter welcoming feast, so her outfit had to disguise her pregnancy as much as possible. So far we had succeeded all year long to keep it from being publicized, as it could rise doubts on her ability to manage the mana supply required for the duchy.

Of course she had been capable of doing so, but normally this couldn’t have happened. We chose to reveal her pregnancy after the baby had been born to showcase her competence as a leader. With that, her next pregnancies wouldn’t leave any space for doubts or displeasure.

Before fourth bell ranged, I moved to the dinning room and waited for Rozemyne to come down. These were our last lunches alone before winter socializing started, so I was planning on enjoying every one of them.

When the bells finally ranged, instead of my wife, an ordonnanz flew inside the room and landed in front of me.

“Lord Ferdinand, Entrinduge has arrived at Aub Alexandria’s chambers.”

Before Lieseleta voice came out three times from the white bird, I was already dashing through the corridors. Without any restrain for etiquette, I bursted into her chambers to see my wife lying down on her bed.

“Everyone, leave right now!” I ordered. During the delivery process, only family should be present, and as neither of our noble families were actual blood relatives, no one else could be in the same room, as mana interference could cause a stillbirth.

“Isn’t this too early?” She asked worried. “I though this would happen towards the end of winter.”

“It’s not that uncommon to deliver premature babies. Don’t worry Rozemyne, I’m here to help you throughout the process.” All the things that we could need had been prepared months ago. Her attendants had placed several pieces of clothes with embroidered magic circles which were used in the process.

“I’m afraid. When Kamil was born, I wasn’t allowed in the room with mom, so I don’t know what to expect.”

“I’m here to protect you and our baby, nothing bad will happen to either of you, I promised you that, didn’t I?”

I climbed the bed to hold her tightly. For the moment we only needed to share mana as the bearing had not started yet. “O Goddess of Childbirth Entrinduge, provider of new life into our family. O Goddess of water Flurtane who heals and brings change to this world. Please hear my prayers and lend us your divine strength. Give us the power to deliver safely a new life into this world. Please protect the young one from Ewigeliebe’s resentment so they can grow to provide prayers to all higher beings.” I poured mana on my ring and green light shooted to the ceiling and rained over Rozemyne.

I kept embracing her as time passed. I could hear her heartbeat getting faster. Her mana also stirred quicker each passing moment. “Contractions are getting stronger. I think it is time for the baby to come,” she finally said.

I stood up and grabbed the corresponding circle to allow easy delivery. “Whenever you feel ready, push.”

She began her work as I encouraged her and waited to receive our baby. “It hurts Ferdinand” she cried. I activated a paper sheet with a magic circle over her womb. “Does this helps?”

“Yes, sort of.”

“You still have to push though.” The circle would reduce pain, but the strain on the body would not disappear until she finished the delivery.

“Aaaahhh!”She shouted, but thanks to her effort I could eventually see a head, then a face and the rest of the body. I grabbed a beautiful baby boy in my hands and wrapped him in a clean cloth with a healing magic circle. I activated it and brought him closer to Rozemyne. She hugged him with happy tears in he eyes.

“This is our son Rozemyne.”

“Hi baby,” she said. “I am your mommy, and this is your daddy.”

“We have to keep sharing our mana with him, but first let me heal you.”

I began to chant Heilschmerz blessing but Rozemyne interrupted me. “Ferdinand, I think there is something wrong with me.”

“What do you mean?” I asked scared. The birthing had happened without any visible problem.

“I still feel movement inside.” She said, “Could there be another baby?”

Twins? It is not common, but not impossible.

“You will have to push again, let me first change the magic circles. Use this time to rest a bit and keep our son by your side until we finish.”

I grabbed another cloth and prepared for the second round. She would start to push again any moment now when contractions restarted.

“Aaaahhh!”

“Come on, you can do it!”

Soon enough another head followed the previous one. “We have a second baby Rozemyne! Just push a little bit more.”

Fatigue was clearly upon her, but she kept pushing. “I can’t give you any potion right now, you have to keep going, just one more push, we are almost there.”

She shouted once more and with her final effort, a beautiful baby girl fell into my arms. “Rozemyne, we have a daughter, a beautiful baby daughter.”

I wrapped her also with a magic cloth and approached her to Rozemyne’s free hand. “Can I do Heilschmerz healing now?”

“Yes I think,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I feel fewer contractions now.”

I healed her and waschened her lower body. Only after she was taken care of, I could start my other fatherly obligations. I helped her to sit up so she could rest both babies on her chest. The circles on the clothes wrapping them had taken care of their cords and cleaned them, but the main function of this design was to allow an even mana distribution.

I positioned myself besides them. With one hand I hugged my wife and with the other I brushed their heads. The boy had midnight blue hair, while the girl shared my light tone. Mana coursed from my hand towards their little bodies. I couldn’t feel any resistance coming from them, that was the result of Rozemyne’s hard effort these past months.

“Do you think you can breastfeed now?” I asked her sometime latter. “I think baby boy is fuzzy, maybe you should start with him while I keep dyeing baby girl, then we change.”

She was tired, her hair was messy, and hey body begged for rest, nevertheless she gave me the biggest smile ever. “I think we also have to give them names,” she answer while positioning the boy’s head near her chest, “we shouldn’t be referring them as baby boy and baby girl, don’t you think?”

People would wait until after birth to name their children, so I hadn’t given a thought about it.

“What do you think about Sebastian and Viola?” She said with confidence.

“Are they book related?” I asked, just like ‘Alexandria’ and ‘Gutenberg’ I had never heard those names before she mentioned them. I looked at our daughter sleeping calmly in my arms and pictured myself calling her that name.

She blushed slightly. “Well kind of, Viola is the protagonist of a story by one of the most prolific authors back in earth, and Sebastian was her twin brother.”

“Sebastian and Viola,” I considered how they sounded, “I like them.”

“Hello Sebastian, hello Viola. Mom are dad are happy to finally meet you.”

The four of us stayed together in bed for the rest of the day.

“We welcome the new children of Alexandria!” With Rozemyne’s cue, the doors to the hall opened and the 32 children, 16 of those who were also being baptized this season, entered in line. Sebastian and Viola as children of the archduchess were at the very front holding hands. I could see my son’s expression stiffen, but my daughter squeezed lightly his hand and he relaxed.

They walked gracefully down the hall, wearing matching red outfits. Viola’s hair matched mine, not only in color, but also in length since I had started growing a braid due to Rozemyne’s request. She had her mother’s large golden eyes and delicate factions. She smiled at the rest of the guests while pulling lightly on her brother’s arm. She was outspoken and terribly clever, sometimes too much for her own good.

Sebastian on the other hand had dark blue locks which framed his nervous smile. We shared eye color but Rozemyne claimed our gazes were completely different. ‘You can see kindness in his, whereas yours still spill venom on more occasions than not,’ She had told me once. She was clearly blinded by her love; my son did shared his mother’s personality, normally he presented himself as a kind person, but just like my little gremlin, he could shift into a scheme expert whenever he wanted something.

The newest citizens of Alexandria reached the stage in the middle of unpleasant whispers coming mainly from land owning nobles.

“Poor children, they will struggle”…. “Twins? How come they are not in the temple?”…. “Our first archduke candidates in years and they will be left behind in academy for sure.”

I started to recite tales from the Bible as usual. Within moments all voices quenched, those fools who had sickening opinions would eat their words in a moment. I called all the children one by one to be baptized in order, starting with the laynobles and ending with both my own.

“Sebastian and Viola, step forward.” They approached me and I handled each one a mana-detecting magic tool. They both grabbed one and at the same moment the tools started to shine brightly. All nobles began to applaud, but those closest to the archducal family were easily identified as they were the most supportive ones.

As they pressed the tools into the medals, their mana flowed to revel seven colors each.

“All seven gods have granted their divine protection: Darkness, Light, Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, and Life. If you dedicate yourselves to become worthy of their protection, you will surely receive many more blessings.”

At the same time Rozemyne came into the stage carrying two magic rings. She slid them onto their middle fingers with a gentle smile. “I grant this rings to you Viola and to you Sebastian, now you have been recognized by the gods and by the people as my daughter and son. Congratulations.”

“Thank you ever so much, Mother.” They replied at unison.

“May Geduldh, the Goddess of Earth bless you both.” I said and red light came out from my ring an flew in their direction.

They turned around to face the whole hall and made their new rings shine in response. “We pray that Geduldh the Goddess of Earth blesses all those in attendance, and our parents for celebrating our baptism,” they declared. Just as we had talked about it, red lights rose into the air, circling around and scattered across the entire hall.

”An so the legend continues.” I had to agree with Hartmut’s comment coming from the side of the stage.

I looked around to see the expressions of those fools who questioned our children’s mana levels and Aub Alexandria’s effort to provide not only to her heirs, but also to the whole territory. After witnessing the results, they would no longer dare to doubt our family again.